State of The Union: The Boss

Growing up in my household it wasn’t really cool to like Bruce Springsteen. My household was made up counter culture ideology, intellectual elitism, refined pop culture pundits and the music we listened to was reflective of that. Think David Bowie, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed and Brian Eno. All good music to be certain but a far cry away from the raw everyman quality that Springsteen sings about. Even when I got into the Grateful Dead in my mid teenage years my parents initially decried it as sloppy, dirty and aggressively un-hip.

I remember when I was around 12 years old my parents, at the behest of Chris Blackwell, took me to see the Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band “Born in the USA” tour at the LA Coliseum. I was too young to really understand what was going on and only appreciated the sprinkles of the MTV era hits that were played in the midst of a four hour (!!) concert. Even so for Christmas a year later I asked for the Springsteen “Live 75-85″ box set and cherished it during my youth.

The stark and literal pictures that Bruce painted with his lyrics seemed like another world to me during those years. I really had no exposure to the working class or the blue collar American Dream that was apparently not made good on. I blame no one for that, we each our exposed to the reality we’re part of and other ways of life can seem so far away unless we actively go out and seek them.

Nils, Bruce and Steven holding it down on 4/27/12 in Los Angeles. (Thanks to Backstreets.com for the photo)

Bruce wrote about things that I really knew nothing about (and might still not). Even the pictures that Bruce’s sang about in the sentimental songs felt like this quaint mystical world that I only saw in movies, “The screen door slams Marys dress sways, Like a vision she dances across the porch, As the radio plays…”

Somehow, somewhere deep inside of me I grew up longing for the simple romanticism that a Bruce Springsteen fan had towards the world, love and life. The Grateful Dead, without question, helped to simplify my palette of the American ethic. “Truckin” was almost a song that you could hear Bruce Springsteen sing.

All of this is to say, I have no idea how I became such a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. And this is a very round about way of writing a review on two of the best concerts that I’ve ever seen in my life.

I’ve faithfully gone to see the last three Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band tours each time taking careful note that I’m witnessing one of the greatest communions that rock and roll has to offer. There really isn’t a more vibrant example of the Church of Rock and Roll happening in full effect. The relationship between the band and the audience is direct, every fan in the arena feels part of the experience. And last weeks shows at the LA Sports Arena were no exception.

With Clarence Clemons being gone The Boss did the right thing by not trying to replace him. Instead, the E-Street band is much less a rock n’ roll band than it is a 17 piece rock, circus, soul revue that’s inspiration can be traced back to the early 60s soul movement. Bruce seems to alternate between being a front man, a preacher, a guitar player and an all around ring leader. Somehow, how I don’t know, he’s managed to craft a band that can alternate between playing intricate rock and roll songs that require melodic precision that only a 5 piece band can hit and other times a rousing celebratory pentecostal church growl where all 17 members are contributing to a wall of sound.

For 3 straight hours Bruce takes you through his version of America. Themes ranging from the rousing hope and idealism in “Born to Run” to the painful wake up call that is the American Dream that can be found in “Wrecking Ball” and “City of Ruins”. Nothing is off limits for Bruce – and he panders to no one. If you come to an E-Street Band show wanting nothing but classic hits you’re going to leave disappointed because it’s truly not a nostalgia show. For a band that’s been doing this for 35 years that idea is almost impossible to get your head around. An E-Street band show in 2012 is oddly relevant and current. Some of the stories are old, and some are new. And when they play the new songs you really don’t mind. It’s part of the 3 hour story that’s being told and they work in context. Sure, you might leave being upset that they didn’t play “Thunder Road” but an E-Street Band show is about the sum of it’s parts. On any given night in a particular city you’re guaranteed to get your own unique story. That’s what you come for.

On April 26th when Bruce and company took the stage in LA the first thing that I noticed, of course, was that Clarence Clemons isn’t on stage and he ain’t gonna be on stage either. The spiritual rock of the band is no longer physically present and his spirit is all that’s left. For all the right reasons Bruce made the decision to keep on going and by doing that the spirit that was Clemons has lifted this band to an even higher calling. There is no practical or material reason why Bruce Springsteen needs to keep doing this. The love and passion that’s on display every night is palpable and inspiring.

If I’m Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Van Morrison or The Rolling Stones I am nothing short of embarrassed by the integrity and passion that Bruce still displays night after night. With a 17 piece E-Street Band in tow, the best seat in the house costs no more than $100. That’s right, $100. The aforementioned acts have a top tier ticket price that is sometimes over $400 face value. Add to that Bruce plays for 3 hours a night.

After the Friday show at the LA Sports Arena my friend Dana said “It’s not who else plays for 3 hours, it’s who else WANTS to play for 3 hours??” Do you really think Don Henley goes out there every night and says “I want to give back to the fans, play for 3 hours at a price that they can afford.” Hell no. He’s in it for the money first and foremost and that is obvious if you’ve been to a recent Eagles concert. To be fair, the problem also lies within the fans who buy all of those overpriced tickets and thus create that demand in the marketplace. Bruce, could go that route easily. His tours could double their revenue no problem yet he stays true to everything he’s sang out about for the last 35 years.

It pains me to take a negative tone with so many artists who have also contributed greatly to the pantheon of rock and roll with such substance. However, it remains painful that so many of our once great heroes are spending their swan song years doing what they do for all the wrong reasons. It’s an urgent cultural tragedy that the great musical heroes of the counter culture now hold events that only the 1% can afford. It’s the ultimate fuck you to the original impetus of the movement and solidifies a “if you can’t beat them join them” attitude. No Rolling Stones, Eagles or even Neil Young (last tour price was $250) show should cost more than $100. It makes the great words of Allen Ginsberg ring true “I’ve seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness” – in this case substitute for the word “greed”.

It’s easy for me to sit back and be a Monday morning quarterback and to critique decisions like this. Put in the same situation I can only hope that I’d follow the cues of Bruce Springsteen and not that of the others. I thank God with every fiber in my body that there is still a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band around today to inspire, provoke, rouse and to lead by example.

Louis CK is a cool dude

(This story is old news if you’re already a Louis CK fan. Sorry)

If you’re into Louis CK you’re likely not into sacred commerce. And if you’re into sacred commerce you’re likely not into Louis C.K.

Good news is that Louis CK may be into both. Well obviously he’s into himself, duh. But who knew that he’s set forth a model on how sacred commerce should work. Sacred commerce pretty much means that a business puts a financial model into place that is both transparent and has a conscious intention on how the flow of money should work. Doesn’t mean you can’t make money and live well, it just means that making large amounts of money has certain advantages for how to make the world a better place.

Check it out. Back in December Louis CK self-released his latest comedy film “Live at the Beacon.” He smartly realized that his fan base was big enough that he could successfully control the whole experience when putting out new material that’s for sale. He sold the movie on his website for five bucks. To date he’s made over one million dollars.

NOW check it out, see what he’s doing with the money:

hi. So it’s been about 12 days since the thing started and yesterday we hit the crazy number. One million dollars. That’s a lot of money. Really too much money. I’ve never had a million dollars all of a sudden. and since we’re all sharing this experience and since it’s really your money, I wanted to let you know what I’m doing with it. People are paying attention to what’s going on with this thing. So I guess I want to set an example of what you can do if you all of a sudden have a million dollars that people just gave to you directly because you told jokes.

So I’m breaking the million into four pieces.

the first 250k is going to pay back what the special cost to produce and the website to build.

The second 250k is going back to my staff and the people who work for me on the special and on my show. I’m giving them a big fat bonus.

The third 280k is going to a few different charities. They are listed below in case you’d like to donate to them also. Some of these i learned about through friends, some were reccomended through twitter.

The Fistula Foundation
The Pablove Foundation
charity: water
Kiva
Green Chimneys
That leaves me with 220k for myself. Some of that will pay my rent and will care for my childen. The rest I will do terrible, horrible things with and none of that is any of your business. In any case, to me, 220k is enough out of a million.

I never viewed money as being “my money” I always saw it as “The money” It’s a resource. if it pools up around me then it needs to be flushed back out into the system.

That is so awesome. Not only is this guy funny and smart but he’s also aware and humble. A cool dude.

Read the original post on his website here

Shiny Objects

This past week, I like many others, relished in the news of Apple’s latest addition to it’s iPad product line. I’ve been on an iPad 1 for some time so I was comfortable and resolute in my immediate pre-order purchase of the latest iPad. Firmly into the 21st Century we are now walking hand in hand with the most mind boggling innovation cycle in the history of man combined with some very stark realities on how the demand for this innovation is met.

The death of Steve Jobs solidified one the most jarring juxtapositions of our time. On one hand, if you are a believer in Steves accomplishments (like I am), you are in awe at the way he fused the arts with science to create the worlds most valuable and influential technology company. Apple has created a product line that revolutionizes the way we communicate, create and take in information. The world will never be the same. On the other hand, there is something troubling about the make shift shrines that were erected outside of Apple retail stores upon Steves death. Here we have this counter culture acid-head rebel being worshipped outside of a store that sells products for thousands of dollars. Look up irony on the dictionary.

Long before the iPhones release in June of 2007 I lusted after the shiny objects that Apple made. The effect that these products had on my life not only entertained me but also helped me to define my own creative voice. To be honest, I’m not so sure that I’d have a career in the digital arts if it weren’t for the early inspiration that the two Steve’s brought me. However, like any good robot consumer I consumed these products without the slightest notion or curiosity as to where they came from or how they were made. It was like the magic Apple fairies just made these shiny little boxes in the North Pole. I never thought to connect the dots that oil was used to make the plastic casing or that actual people would need to be used to put these things together.

Mike Daisey, the performer and writer of the explosive New York play “The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs” said to Playbill:

“We live in denial about China: a relationship that so disturbs us that we pretend our devices are made in magical Willy Wonka-esque factories by space elves instead of the real human cost we all know in our hearts has been paid. This moment is an opportunity to peel back the surface and get at the secret heart of our relationship with Steve Jobs, his devices, our labor, and China itself.”

The history of supply chains and the manufacturing process that feeds them is quite complex. The industrial revolution gave birth to the America we know today and put America at the forefront of innovation. America was suddenly fused together with the ability to capitalize on that innovation by creating an assembly line that supported the massive demand for the new products. That assembly line gave way to a low cost streamlined way of making products that accomplished two things: jobs for the working class and reasonably priced goods that the same working class could afford to use or by. It was a dream scenario. Products and services were made and fed by each other in the same system of supply and demand.

Take this example (via WikiPedia) of Andrew Carnegie’s significant accomplishments:

One of his two great innovations was in the cheap and efficient mass production of steel by adopting and adapting the Bessemer process for steel making. Sir Henry Bessemer had invented the furnace which allowed the high carbon content of pig iron to be burnt away in a controlled and rapid way. The steel price dropped as a direct result, and was rapidly adopted for railway lines and girders for buildings and bridges.

If you follow the bouncing ball you can see how this single act created a domino effect that changed our lives. Cheap steel gave way to railroad expansion which gave way to freedom of movement and physical growth around the country. Steel cores gave way to skyscrapers and later on to automobile production. And so on and so on, you get the idea.

The same logic can be applied to the products that Apple products have had on the West. There are millions examples of how the personal home computer gave power back to the individual and fostered a creative revolution. Early on in Apples formative years many of the products were made in the US. It’s almost hard to imagine now given that the global manufacturing climate has changed so much.

Ok, so what changed? In the late 20th century, de-regulation grew and combined with new international free trade polices that gave companies the ability to make their products much cheaper than they had been made before. This meant outsourcing to the cheapest bidder, mainly China. This eliminated America’s ability to both create and supply products for the middle class. What rose in the background were millions of workers who made these products in what we now refer to as “sweatshops.” We now know that every single Apple product is made in an environment that overworks the employees, underpays them by American standards and stresses them out to the point that even suicide has been an option.

Who’s to blame here? Is it the player of the game or the game itself? Or both? And, we have to ask ourselves honestly: is the Apple tarnished?

In Walter Isaacson’s biography “Steve Jobs”, he conveniently skips over Apples transition from American factories to Chinese factories in favor of focussing on Steve Jobs, the person. However, in the middle chapters he does give light to Steve’s obsession with Apple’s early factory lines in Northern California. Steve was obsessed with the way they physically looked and operated drawing off the notion that if any part of the products DNA was compromised then the whole product would be compromised. I can’t imagine that Steve took the same care to aesthetic perfection in the Chinese factories.

So how do we change this? Many far left liberals are calling on Apple to stop the whole practice all together. Let’s look at some harsh realities with that notion. Apple is a publicly traded company therefore, it’s main goal is to turn a profit which then keeps the stock price high and investors happy. Using todays math under the current rules of the game, if Apple were to engage on the popular grassroots campaign that’s being called “make the iPhone 5 ethically”, profits would fall, the stock would plummet and the same people that green lit the “ethical iPhone 5″ campaign would get fired. A core pillar of Apples profit center has come from a miracle supply chain story that is rooted in cheap manufacturing in China that can keep margins high while meeting the worlds obsessive product demands. Therefore, making the iPhone 5 in America under American employment standards is not option under the current model.

Next, when China opened it’s doors to the outside much of their reason for doing so came from a place of “look, we have one billion people here who are ready to work. bring us jobs.” This thinking immediately took China out of a rural migrant farm worker culture to that of pollution filled urban sprawl that has seemingly countless numbers of people who are willing to work for very little money on products that they can not afford to buy. China was desperate to jump into the modern world and this was a ticket to the party. The simultaneous deregulation of global business synced up perfectly with this new panacea of cheap labor. You had global companies, like Apple, that wanted to increase it’s profits and you have a country that has the work force and desire to become a global super power. Both set of mutually exclusive goals were accomplished. What happened in the space between was not thought through or possibly even considered.

For the most part I am a believer in the Global Village and that the more communication brings us together the more borders disappear and we become connected to each others challenges and triumphs. What happens in China is not so far away anymore that it can be ignored. The philosophical view of how humanity can operate as a collective conscious is valid and necessary as our population grows and as the challenges of the modern world become more apparent. Now, as we strive for a new world paradigm we are however caught in the grips of an old world order that we also can not ignored.

What can be done in a reasonable manner about the person who works at the sweat shop making iPads? And what can done to not judge the employer, in this case Apple, who is playing by the rules? China itself has done very little to regulate worker conditions. No one is forcing these Chinese workers to take these jobs at FoxConn, in fact these jobs are in very high demand. Potential new workers line up by the thousands to try and get a new job at FoxConn. The Chinese cultural view on stable employment is so different than ours that it’s hard for us to understand the context which immediately leads us to blaming and judging. Add to that, any CEO of a public company is burdened with turning a profit for their company so making stuff in China is a good idea for the books. The point is that the game is rigged and there’s no way to win. I’m not endorsing Apples treatment of workers. It pains me to play with my iPad knowing that these young Chinese workers were eating poor food and sleeping in these cramped dorms when assembling this beautiful device.

There aren’t too many options that could fix this but there are a couple. China would need to collapse from their highly leveraged market and the balance of manufacturing power would once again shift. Or the throngs of Chinese workers could uprise organically and demand better conditions and pay and form a union. The latter is most likely and even a hopeful outcome. Doubling Chinese worker pay is actually reasonable, probable and would keep Apple still very profitable. If you’re wondering, moving the manufacturing to US based factories is not an option. That ship sailed quite some time ago. Let it go.

This post is more about observation that solutions. To me, it’s fascinating and impossible to ignore that this very MacBookPro I’m writing this blog with is tainted with the pains of the human spirit being pushed too far.

About a month ago, Nightline was granted unprecedented exclusive access to the FoxConn Apple manufacturing plan (link below). Reporter Bill Weir drops a bomb of a soundbite at the end which is, for better or for worse, true; “In our current world you can either be the country that makes this stuff or the country that lines up to buy this stuff but you can’t be both.”

If you choose to blame Apple and to take a stand then you have to take a stand on all Chinese exports. That means you wouldn’t a single piece of electronic equipment in your home or automobile. Do any of you see yourself doing that? If you choose to single out Apple because they have brilliantly exploited a flawed rule book then you are blaming the player and not the game. Apple is experiencing what’s called “The Nike Effect.” They are not the only company making their products this way. They are merely the most iconic brand doing it. “Think Different” has been stamped in our psyche so deeply that it’s hard to make sense of the contradiction.

I will continue to live in both worlds. Simultaneously I’ll be be troubled about these worker conditions in China while I continue to purchase the devices. It is my hope that we can do both while bringing awareness to the issue that may come up with a better solution. Long term, it’s great that Apple has been singled out because the amount of global attention it brings to matter is valuable. Awareness is a good first step. For most of us, it’s too late to turn back from how these innovations have effected our lives. They are part of the fabric. I don’t see too many of us lining up to stop buying electronics. The harsh realities of how these products made are now part of the fabric and the ever growing juxtaposition of the modern world. I believe with enough exposure and openness about the issues we can find a solution that pleases all sides.

Watch Nightline get exclusive access to Apples iPad and iPhone factory, click here

SOPA vs. The Mash Up Generation

A piece ran in Slate the other day that proclaimed passing SOPA would lead to an economic and social disaster. Click here to read that post.

It’s a fantastic look at how the socia-economic sensibilities have changed considerably in the last decade and the movement of copyright infringement has helped to shape this brave new world. I disagree with the overly simplistic view that states that the entertainment industries revenue has not been offset from online piracy. It is a fact that the record sales are down 60% in the last decade. One might argue that’s a good thing – the scam of charging $18 for a full length record that’s only 20% good was akin to forcing you to go into Disneyland with only 2 or 3 of the rides working. Now, the consumer can choose to buy as much or as little of an album as they want. And there is direct proof that if the whole album is good, people will buy it. Quality rises to the top and people respond. Refer to Adelle or Mumford and Sons for evidence of that. Of course there’s another, somewhat more complicated, side. In today’s media savvy world there’s a whole generation that simply types in “Mediafire Mumford and Sons” into Google to acquire new music. Easy. Two or three clicks and it’s done.

Some experts say the psychological subtly that a music file is only a few megabytes and is so easily shared (stolen) that it really doesn’t amount to stealing in the first place. It’s just sharing your stuff with your friends. It’s the same as viewing a non authorized video on YouTube or borrowing a book like the Slate piece talks about. Most people under 25 would say this is true, digital music feels intangible thus it doesn’t hold any concrete place in the material world. It’s just a file that can be passed on over and over again. The thought doesn’t even occur to most kids that effort and money went into producing said file and thus it does actually hold monetary value. All true but I think it goes deeper than that.

If we look back at the previous few decades they all have a very concrete stamp on how they can be defined. The 60′s were a time of social unrest and revolution, the 70s were groovy and had disco, the 80s were the MTV generation and the 90s had grunge and the birth of the web. Each era can be very succinctly defined. Can the same be said of the 2000′s? Sort of but not really.

The 2000s saw the rise of the iPod, Facebook and YouTube. Those are certainly three pilars that this generation can be proud of and no doubt forever changed the way we live. However, take a look at the core value that each one of those three products has to offer. The iPod allows you to store tons of the aforementioned intangible digital files of music that inherently encourages you to just plug your iPod into a friends computer and go wild taking whatever you want. Facebook is a tool that has changed the way we communicate and stay in touch but it’s also largely a forum for people to share other peoples content that they love without thinking about it. How many times a week do I see a rare Pink Floyd clip posted over and over again? Lots. And then there’s YouTube – the mothership of them all. YouTube has essentially created a cultural conversation that is based on the mash-up. People taking others peoples work and slicing it up into new work. It’s a blender of cultural vernacular, music, iconic images, acting without any SAG card and all around power to the people creativity. That’s what the 2000′s was – it was the decade for mashing-up and sharing stuff that moves us. It’s defined this generation.

The 1990′s gave rise to this anarchic uncontrollable giant of the World Wide Web. It, accidentally, became the last free dimension where there is no police force and is completely egalitarian. SOPA would add a layer to this that is so contrary to it’s DNA that it would disrupt what can not be disrupted. Additionally, to me more importantly, it would change the cultural conversation that made the 2000s (and now the 2010′s) so great. Our favorite viral videos would be subject to government regulation. Blogs could not freely publish half of what they do. Girl Talk could not make his genius albums and most of all the kids could not simply share the stuff they love and make into their own cultural statement. SOPA would start a war with an entire generation that has made mash-ups and the appropriation of content into a unique voice all their own.

I understand that the entertainment business is scared of lost revenue and needs to react to that somehow. I don’t have a point of view on that. But I do know that the music business, particularly the musicians, are going to go through a radical shift in their place in society. A friend of mine and I often talk about how modern society will hold a place for the professional musician from here on out. We think that todays musician will go back to their roots of how it used to be. I don’t mean how it used to be in the 1950s. I mean how it used to be in the 1890s. The musician will once again become the village bard that expresses our core emotions simply because they have no choice. They will once again become the story tellers who are passing on myths of the generation simply because their dharma calls for it. Very few will now do it for the seductive draw of money and fame. Surely there will still be a few of those but mostly todays musician will contribute into the modern tech laden social mash-up because it’s a damn good thing to do. The economic model how to make it as a musician still needs some things answered but the sentiment of this modern world of free roaming content will be a good thing in the long run.

Steve Jobs and Jerry Garcia in India!

It’s been well documented that Steve went to India in 1974 in search of enlightenment. I have no idea if Jerry Garcia ever went. This is post is about neither. Rather, it’s about how I just met both of them on my recent trip to India.

Upon my departure I loaded up my iPad with 10 or so books that I thought would be essential reading while in Rishikesh and Vrindavan, two very holy cities where the bhav is plentiful. One of which was “Steve Jobs” by Walter Issacson. Also on my iPad were your basic go-to spiritual manuals like The Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.

Sunset on the Ganga, Rishikesh

On the plane flight over I was well into the Steve Jobs book and found myself getting more and more sucked into the story of how two guys started a company in their garage that later became the worlds most valuable technology company. Even as I arrived in India and was settled into my daily routine I just couldn’t seem to put it down. I was occasionally going back to the Gita but time and time again the Steve book seemed to have all the instruction and inspiration that I needed while enjoying my own spiritual meanderings in India.

The new agers and touchy feely types decry the Steve story as a downer because he often times wasn’t such a nice guy. He was brash, rude, insensitive, sometimes dishonest and didn’t display behavior of that of a counter culture infused guy from Northern California. All that is true. However, that’s not what his story is about. If you’re reading the book to try and find value in him as a model human being that’s missing the point. Rather the book is about one mans ability to manifest the things he held dear to him, without compromise. It’s the story of one mans dharma. What more appropriate thing can you read about while in India?

Steve has the ability to strip out the clutter and distractions that got in the way of realizing his vision for creating products that fused together technology and the humanities. He was not the best programmer or engineer or even business mind around, but he had a vision for how human beings could build relationships with digital interfaces. Those interfaces had a variety of applications over the years that changed the way we live and behave on a daily basis. Indeed, our entire persona of life in the digital age has roots that go back to something that Apple did within the last 30 years. Steve was a modern avatar who slashed and burned his way to success but through it I found that he was also a shining example of someone who found what he loved to do and then did it. That is discipline. I can’t think of too many modern examples who had such a clear vision of how they saw their little slice of the world and had to share it with people no matter what. In life it is about adding all the things that make you a better person but it’s also about getting rid of the extraneous clutter that is preventing you from realizing potential. Just as Steve slashed most of the Apple product line upon his return in 1996, I look to slash most of my personal product line that no longer serves any purpose. Simplify.

That’s the end of the first part. On to my second story.

After Rishikesh I went to Vrindavan. While there, I did get the typical bug that shut me down for 24 hours. It was about my 12th day on this trip. I was laying in bed not able to hold anything down and feeling really distant from why I went there in the first place. I was sick, it was dirty and noisy. Temple life was rigid and predictable. And most importantly I was losing site of the person I wanted to be. Embarrassingly, I thought I was doing this for all the wrong reasons like fashion or because it felt “cool”. I kept asking myself why did I have to go half away around the world to get closer to my guru when I could have just as well found him in the cozy confines of my Culver City home. I just didn’t know what I was really doing or why I was doing it. It was a dark night.

As I was laying there it occurred to me that I hadn’t listened to any western music in nearly two weeks. I thought that perhaps a nice way to distract myself from feeling lousy inside and out was to listen to some music. So I got out my iPod, hit the shuffle button and just took in what was to unfold and once again reshape my experience. The first song to come up was Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s song “Isn’t this a lovely day?”. The soothing subtle nuances of Ella and Louis immediately warmed my heart and took me back to my childhood home in 1989 where I could see my parents just hanging out being in love by the fireside. They loved Ella and Louis and no music epitomizes their love more than that. Getting warmer, cozier…slowly feeling a manifestation of spirit. I was feeling love for my parents together and how it used to be, which doesn’t happen too often.

The next track to come up was by the Grateful Dead, it was a 1973 version of “Eyes of the World.” More than any other music the Grateful Dead really is the soundtrack of my life. I think you can guess what happened next. Less than 2 minutes into the song I got the chills from the familiar strains of Jerry’s guitar and the music then set forth in motion a complete overhaul of my attitude, thinking, perception and overall happiness. It all made sense. I knew exactly why I was India and I loved it!

Now it’s funny that the intangible can produce a tangible physical experience. What is it about sound that can trigger emotions which can then trigger thoughts which can then shape your experiences? By merely listening to a performance of a song the seemingly confusing state of my spiritual emotions suddenly went away. The music fixed me! One could add another fascinating tangent to this discussion – how matter and energy is really connected to the same “stuff” which leads to a realization of how the material world and the spiritual world may not be as far apart as we may think.

But this non-dualist probing will be saved for another post.

It’s funny that I traveled so far to be in the presence of such mystical and wonderful places and traditions but in the end the things that were already nearest and dearest to me are what brought me closer to those mystical and wonderful things! That really speaks to the point of what being a seeker all about. It’s so important to remember to not get caught in the trap of searching for something outside of yourself in hopes of attaining some goal. The external things that you may be investigating as methods or tools are really just conduits to bringing you closer to what’s already dwelling inside. That familiar love is always right there. Trying to avoid traps along the way…

I found Jerry Garcia in Steve Jobs in India!

The Revolution will not be Televised – 5 simple steps

Maybe Gil Scott-Heron was on to something after all. It doesn’t take a very sharp mind to acknowledge that the Occupy movement was one born of frustration but lined with the inherent hope that the American dream offers. We saw thousands of thoughtful young people taking arms in a sea of troubles only to have the authorities eventually extinguish the gatherings. The problem was that Occupy was a collection of ideas that were articulated by a vocal minority (that represented a majority) who were essentially leaderless. But who can say that they really learned what Occupy was about from watching TV? Very few.

After the first month Occupy was hard for most people to get their heads around because the ideas were so broad and lacked a central hub where the casual Occupier could go to learn more. Sure there were websites and various viral notions floating out there but most people couldn’t tell you more than “it’s about the “99% vs. the 1%”. If you didn’t watch The Daily Show or were a member of Move On I just can’t imagine how you even knew what Occupy was really about.

Because of that I’m suggesting that we compliment the Occupy movement with some simple steps that can help us create change now. Away from the TV. I offer these 5 simple rules for starting a revolution. We can not wait around for politicians to change our laws or for a crowd to gather in the streets again. When those happen, great. But in the meantime let’s turn within and act locally and pragmatically. There are so many tangible simple things we can do on a daily basis that will change the physical and economic landscape and open up the revolutionary change agents that are dwelling inside of all of us.

Five steps to spark change:

I preface all of these by saying that I merely strive for these, it’s not perfection, just awareness and progress.

1.) Change what you buy – if we call collectively bought hybrid cars, didn’t shop at Wal Mart and chose eco-friendly products it would make a small difference. Even if it’s only incremental, it’s a start. The fabric of the American dream is small business, self realization and self determination. This is crumbling fast. Because of cheap prices and convenience we’ve given the power back to the elite few. The big corporations are becoming bigger and more powerful because they’ve created the illusion of convenience. Short term satisfaction over long term sustainability. Shop small, shop local, buy eco friendly and try to minimize your support of the 1%. This is a very complicated topic in itself and could warrant a massive discussion – but to learn more about how a certain aspect of how the 1% operates and takes advantage of you watch “Inside Job.”

2.) Change what you eat – do you realize that if we all ate organic, GMO free, High Fructose Corn syrup free healthy living foods that the entire Monsanto corporate food structure would crumble? Everyones first response is “I can’t afford it.” That is a problem but I offer the idea that it’s sacrifice. The super cheap mass Alternatives are a trap. Do you know how much harm is done and energy is expounded to get a McDonalds hamburger to cost $.99? Spend the extra $2 and eat some local fruit and nuts instead. It might seem expensive in the short term but in the long term it will equal out because our collective supply and demand structure will change.

3.) Become vegetarian – I won’t deny the facts that show us that human beings are omnivores. We eat whatever is around us in order to survive. This is a simple fact. However, we have evolved to the point to where we can question the sustainability of choosing to deplete what’s around us. And as far as suffering goes, there really is no reasonable need to make any other living creature suffer in order for us to thrive. At the very least, if you do not agree with that philosophy (or if your body does not) at least eat organic, free range animal products. The environmental, health and karmic damage that the institutional meat industry causes is a crime and shutting this down will be a small revolution in itself. People will be healthier, less obese, the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries would dramatically change as a result. Watch “Food Inc.” or “Forks over Knives” to learn more.

4.) Develop a method – the problem with being fanatic about a personal growth method is that it becomes a trap. You start to see the whole world through that method and then judge those who aren’t on the same trip. With that said, if we all collectively develop a consciousness expanding method with some flexibility and open mindedness to others methods we’d be in better shape. Practice Yoga, do meditation, become spiritual and God conscious, chant the names of God, do community service (seva), become a member of a loving non-zealot based local church, take psychedelics consciously after you do the research, play music, make art – do any of these things. Do something that takes you out of the selfish routine of self gratification, greed and the desire to amass more “stuff”. Opening our hearts and minds to new ways of thinking naturally makes us question the world around us and causes a revolution that begins within. The best part of the 1960′s was based on this notion. Question authority but do it with mindfulness. Can you imagine what would happen if the majority of Americans started the day with a form of Yoga? Can you imagine how thoughtful we’d be if we all sang and danced every day?

5.) Use media wisely – this is perhaps the one that is easiest for everyone to participate in. We’re all on Facebook everyday anyway so why not use it wisely? There is an immense power in this. Please stop posting about your morning coffee and post about ideas that are worth spreading (thanks TED). The proof is there – when good ideas spread they work. See #Occupy or Arab Spring for evidence. Of course, it’s ok to have some fun and to keep it light – not everything needs to be some heavy message all the time. I get that. But let’s find a balance. Except for the Kardashians – there is a zero tolerance policy on that one. Don’t post about them, ever.

Wanna know why the music business is so complicated?

Look at the simplicity of the chart for 1980. You put out a record and maybe a cassette and call it a day. Easy if you had a good song.

Now look at the chart for 2010. Holy shit. No wonder everyone is running around mad trying to figure out how to monetize everything in sight. On one hand the music business has more touch points than ever before. On the other, it’s too fragmented – no one entity can control all of these revenue sources.

The complete post on DMM

Sri Krishna – Happy Janmastami

“All-in-all, even though He’s the supreme creator and the cause of all causes, he’s looking to engage in a loving reciprocal relationship with those who are interested and he promises that it will be a two-way street where he’s willing to do his part.”

Fantastic piece on Huffington Post today about Krishnas love and the difficulty of understanding that love through our untrained hearts and minds.

For the complete article…

Apple tid bit

Michael Dell on what he would do with Apple in 1996 “”What would I do? I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.”

Dell now has a $25.82 billion capitalization, with sad sales and margins. Apple is now at $338.39 billion, with insane sales, profits and margins. Poor Mickey.

Ready Freddie!

Because Freddie was one of the great front men of all time! At the time, this was considered the highlight of the ’86 Live Aid concert.